The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld

by Dan Slater

The harrowing tale of an immigrant underworld, a secret vice squad, and the rise of organized crime. In the early 1900s, prior to World War I, New York City was a vortex of vice and corruption. On the Lower East Side, then the most crowded ghetto on earth, Eastern European Jews formed a dense web of crime syndicates. Gangs of horse poisoners and casino owners, pimps and prostitutes, thieves and thugs, jockeyed for dominance while their family members and neighbors toiled in the unregulated garment industry.   But when the notorious murder of a gambler attracted global attention, a coterie of affluent German-Jewish uptowners decided to take matters into their own hands. Worried about the anti-immigration lobby and the uncertain future of Jewish Americans, the uptowners marshalled a strictly off-the-books vice squad led by an ambitious young reformer.   The squad, known as the Incorruptibles, took the fight to the heart of crime in the city, waging war on the sin they saw as threatening the future of their community. Their efforts, however, led to unforeseen consequences in the form of a new mobster class who realized, in the country’s burgeoning reform efforts, unprecedented opportunities to amass power.   In this mesmerizing and atmospheric account, drawn from never-before-seen sources and peopled with unforgettable characters, Dan Slater tells an epic and often brutal saga of crime and redemption, exhuming a buried history that shaped our modern world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Crime, Audiobook, Historical, American History

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie. When I requested The Incorruptibles by Dan Slater from Netgalley, I immediately had visions of Kevin Costner from The Untouchables in my head. For those of us old enough to remember, I need say no more. For the young people, it was a crime movie and I have no idea if it holds up, but I do remember Sean Connery was at his very best. What does this all have to do with the book? Regrettably, not much.

Slater tells the tale of crime in the Jewish section of New York City in the early 1900s. I cannot knock his passion or research skills. Unfortunately, Slater did not know when to kill his darlings. There are two main characters, but each of them will completely disappear for long stretches. Additionally, Slater never met a side character he could cut from the narrative. This book is littered with diversions and sometimes random and extended history lessons which bog the book down to the point where a character shows up and you say, "Wait, who is this again?" And it absolutely kills me because there are multiple characters who I want an entire book on. Tony the Tough is just such a person who has a fascinating backstory. She pops in and out and every time she returns I kept hoping she would get the spotlight for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, she is like almost all the characters who seem to disappear from the narrative as swiftly as they arrived.

There is a fantastic book in here somewhere and I think Slater could write it, but there is too much meandering in this story right now for it to be a must read.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company.)

[Shai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I am glad that I read the book as I learned a little more about the history of the city I grew up in and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about NYC's history. However, I read this book during my vacation and found it to be a little cumbersome, to be honest. Perhaps it was not the best time to attempt to read such a "heavy" book. The premise of the book is interesting, especially as I enjoy reading true crime books (along with other genres). The execution of it was a little difficult to get through.

The book is about a time in NYC history when the city was basically lawless and there were levels of crime being committed by different factions. Among these were the Jewish mob. This book follows the story of one mobster's rise and eventual demise - Harry Rosenthal.

One thing I do have to make note of is that it is obvious that Dan Slater is passionate about this subject - Slater puts in so many details and seems to want to ensure that every little bit of this story is covered. However, his attention to detail makes the book lag in many places and difficult to get through. I kept plugging along because every so often the action would pick up, but I think it could have worked with just telling Rosenthal's tale and without getting into all of the background characters' details.

Thank you to Netgalley for the electronic ARC and to the publisher, Little, Brown, and Company for making it available.

[BethFishReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at the rise of the Jewish mob, from the late 1800s through to Prohibition in New York City.

The book focuses on Arnold Rothstein, but we also meet the mobsters, the politicians, and the reformers who were active during his hold on organized crime in the city. I was fascinated with the breadth of the biography/history and learned quite a bit beyond Rothstein's life story.

Here are just a few things I learned: there were different laws for different social classes, horse poisoning was an extortion tactic, Jewish prostitution was a big problem, and the Garment District was at the heart of the Jewish mobs.

Rothstein himself was a complex man. He traveled as freely in "regular" society as he did in the underworld. He was a ruthless gangster, but he was also a philanthropist and believed in helping others. Rothstein and his cronies are, as you can imagine, a source of mixed feelings for American Jews--weighing the crimes against the rise to power and wealth.

Slater gives historical context for the rise of the mobs and the reform movement, addresses gambling (horse racing & the White Sox World Series), and describes life for immigrants to New York.

This was a well-rounded and easy-to-read account of the rise of the Jewish mob and the life of Arnold Rothstein.

The audiobook book was performed by Jonathon Todd Ross, who was expressive without being overly dramatic and held my attention throughout. Though I'm no expert, I think his accents were fine. I have to praise Hachette Audio for including a PDF with the audiobook. The file contained photos and a glossary of period and Yiddish terms. I wish every audiobook--especially nonfiction--came with the visuals found in the print edition; it's tremendously helpful and enhances the reading/audio experience.

Thanks to publishers for review copies in various formats.

[Farrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow at times and waaaayyyy too many names/people to keep track of but I’m giving it three stars bc I learned a lot about New York City and Jewish immigration/crime at the turn of the century and all of that was really interesting.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh.

If you go into this expecting [and who wouldn't with that title ] "The Untouchables" [IYKYK ], I am sorry to say, you'll be [like me ] disappointed.

I was expecting a pretty even mix of the kingpins/baddies and the men that wanted to take them down [sounds like a great book right? ]; alas, this is not what I got. This was very kingpin/baddie heavy and VERY light on the very men that worked to eradicate their evilness from the city they loved [as an aside, the title is very misleading IMO ], with those men not showing up to the story until about halfway and then you get a scant 2-4 chapters before they seemingly disappear for forever and you are just left with all the baddies and their escapades [and how they keep evading prosecution ] and wondering what happened.

I do, at this point, need to say this; Mr. Slater knows how to research [the research here is meticulous - he must have REAMS of paper or terabytes of information ], and he CAN write [the book is often engaging even if it wasn't what I was expecting ], and so I have to admit to being interested and intrigued by what I was reading. Unfortunately, it was often a mishmash of characters that are not fully fleshed out, side characters that are so engaging you wish you had a whole book about them [and then *POOF* they are gone ] and so many others that I finally stopped trying to keep track [I was so lost through much of this character-wise ], and after awhile, it just got frustrating and disappointing

Overall, even though I am disappointed, some of what I read [in the midst of some of the jumble] was really interesting and with the caveat that the title of the book is a touch misleading, I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the underworld of New York City and all the baddies that tried to make it their town.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dan Slater, and Little, Brown, and Company for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Denise Mullins · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF This is a case when exhaustive research becomes exhausting to read and totally destroys any anticipation one may hold for the subject matter. The flat narrative jumps back and forth in an erratic manner that prevents one from developing any type of understanding of the characters discussed. Guess the tip off came when considering that footnotes and source information constituted approximately half the page count. What a disappointment!

[Devon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kill me now.....

[Carol Dimitriou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting book about the Jewish underworld of New York in the early twentieth century. When I thought about the New York underworld before reading this book, I thought about the Italian Mafia. This book was full of so much information, and the story of Abe Shoenfeld and the incorruptibles was awesome.The epilogue, in which the author talks about learning about his Jewish forebears, was especially interesting. Great book!

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t you hate it when your commute home is delayed because a horse died in the middle of the on ramp to the Manhattan bridge cause the driver wouldn’t pay protection money to the local horse poisoning guild so they poisoned his horse?? Classic nyc moment.

Very split on this one, on the one hand it was sometimes hard to follow and it felt like there were a lot of digressions that hurt the books momentum. On the other hand, the digressions and side characters were the best parts of the book and it was definitely better than cutting them.

[Stephen Ditman · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 stars

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Little, Brown and Company for an advance copy of this history of crime, corruption in early 1900's New York City and the brave men and women who did their best to stop it, and how it changed the history of organized crime.

New York City is the greatest city in the world. New York City is also to quote The Pogues "No place for the old." Or the poor, or the disenfranchised. Especially at the early part of the 1900's. So many people fleeing the Old World to make it in the New World. Rich people wanting to keep their power, poor people trying to make their fortunes. And a police force, with a few exceptions, for rent to the highest bidder. Gambling halls filled the streets, men stole women's futures, forcing them to work in bawdy houses, extortionists preyed on any business they could. People made and lost fortunes, made their reputations, or lost their lives. Much of this done by members of their own community in the lower East Side of New York. Until a crime happened that brought a little too much sunlight into the area, allowing a group of reformers to hit back at these gangs. And changed organized crime in America. The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld by Dan Slater is a look at a part of American history that will be unfamiliar to many, the crime syndicates that rose in political and financial power, led to anti-immigrant feelings, and destroyed countless lives.

The Lower East Side of New York City was full of people, in fact more people than anywhere in the world. These people brought their religion, traditions and ways of life from their home countries to the New World. This included ideas on crime and how groups would come together to make money, and protect themselves from those who would try and take it away. Be it other criminals, police, or even worse reformers. Gambling was big, as was prostitution. Young women would be lured away, placed in horrible situations, and knowing they could never go home, because of the shame of what has happened, be thrust into a life, without a future. The death of a major gambler, brought attention to this world, attention that was too much for a group of affluent business types. They feared that this could lead to problems, for the people living in the country, and those who wanted to come here. These men used their money to hire a group of reformers, who went from making reports, to breaking down doors with the police, changing the power structures of these gangs. Stopping a few, but allowing more subtle ones to gain in power, and money.

A look at a part of New York history that will be a revelation to many. I have read a lot of books about the rise of organized crime in the city, and always came across the mention of Jewish gangs, but never realized how much of a power they were. And a force to be reckoned with. Slater is a very good writer who has done a ton of research and interviews with the descendents of many of the people involved. Slater talks about the crime, the reformers, even the history of the clothing business in the city, as this was all tied in. Slater's stories about the women though are quite well done. I have to admit one of my favorite characters was a woman called Tony the Tough, who was forced into the world of prostitution, and yet fought as hard as she could to get out with her mind, her brawn and her hatpin. Slater also discusses the early police techniques, dictaphones to record conversations, tapping phone lines, and my favorite a weighted umbrella to bring to fights. A very good story about crime, society, and what people allow to assimilate.

Recommended for true crime fans, people who love to read histories of New York, and those who love interesting stories about people trying to get by, or in some cases make life better for others, even when everything is against them.

[Alan Kaplan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Incorruptibles is about the Lower East Side of NY at the end of the 1800's and the early 1900's when the Lower East Side was the most densely populated area in the world with between 700 and 1600 people per acre. Bombay, India, reportedly only had 759 people per acre. In this morass of largely immigrant Eastern European Jews, crime spiked with the growth of criminal gangs who had largely bought off the police and the government. Casinos, houses of prostitution, bribes, drugs, gambling and protection rackets flourished. Gangsters were on both sides of labor disputes, with some providing the muscle for the owners and others for the strikers. At the dawn of the automobile age, many goods were transported by horse drawn wagons. If the owners of the wagons refused to pay protection money, people were hired to poison the horses. Unbelievable. Uptown citizens in NYC, chiefly early arrivers like German Jews, tried to reign the criminal element in the Lower East Side with moderate success. The book focuses on really two people, the infamous criminal Arnold Rothstein and the reformer Abe Shoenfeld. Rothstein ran a casino in a brownstone. Yes, a casino that was one of many in NYC under the supposed protection of the police. Rothstein is also rumored as the man who was thought to be the one who threw the 1919 World Series, the infamous Black Sox series. That series was a central plot point in the movie, Field of Dreams. Prohibition accelerated the criminal element with the gangsters smuggling alcohol into the US. As time went on many of the Lower East Siders moved into the middle class, and the Italian mob took over the rackets. The Incorruptibles hints that the idea of the American classic, The Great Gatsby, is a product of Arnold Rothstein and what was happening at the time in the Lower East Side. My complaint with the book is that it is a little muddled, names go back and forth and it is confusing to keep everyone straight. One chapter is about Rothstein, another about Shoenfeld and multiple other names. This is a slice of history that when people are pushed into ghettos, people will do what they need to do to survive.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both fascinating and disturbing. These are tales that were never shared at my family’s dinner table and yet, I can recognized some bits and pieces. Not so much that leads me to believe my grandparents and great grandparents were involved in an deep way but enough to recognize that no matter how good and just a life they led, they could not have remained immune or separated. Marginalization, unsubstantiated hatred and fear and loathing leave few options open. Even as a child of the post Holocaust world where I thought, foolishly perhaps, that blatant anti-Semitic vitriol might, for once, be a thing of the past, what I read here and what I read and see now almost as pervasively as it once was, it makes me weep.

It matters not what contributions of a the individual or the group, it will never be enough. It makes mew hear the same words and sentiments spoken of others by people who should but do not know any better. But the poster child will always be, as has always been, the Jew. The ultimate outsider who will never in the sight of many be good enough.

The book highlights a place in time when those who wished to sanitize the system and those who decided to play the system truly came into head on collisions. Thanks to the poison of people like Henry Ford, the good intentions of the Incorruptibles would infect the next generation and one wicked man in particular, Hitler. So in a way, the book speaks to how the world could allow the unthinkable to happen. I wish I believed that in the last century the collective human brain had gained some wisdom. Alas, I do not come away from this book feeling very heartened.

Which does not mean it is not an important book that deserves to be read. It is and does. It is said that if we do not understand history, we are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps we are just doomed to repeat it regardless. Five very sad purrs.

[Jenny K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and edifying chronicle of the development of organized crime in the Jewish community on the Lower East Side of New York City at the turn of the 20th century. There are interesting characters and lots of action. You know how they say that truth is stranger than fiction? This is an excellent example.

There is so much going on here, from murder and prostitution to union organizing and "grafting," or paying off cops, and lots in between. It's all tied into the reign of Tammany Hall and how that kept reformers from making progress.

The plot more or less follows the trajectory of one Abe Shoenfeld, or "prettyfield" in the anglicized version, as he tries to rid the community of its vices while improving the lot of the poor workers.

There are many disturbing elements as you might imagine. Some graphic parts of the prostitution and plenty of people being killed. Some of it seems contrived until you remember it's not a novel but real life!

It has a satisfying epilogue where we see the author's personal connection to the story as well as what happened to Abe later on.

I took some points off because as interesting as this was, I think the reach was a bit too broad. That made it hard to follow at certain points, with so many characters and pathways, and some tangents, like a short history of the first ghetto in Venice in the year 1509. While sometimes I was itching to get back to it, other parts I skimmed. I also would have loved to hear more about the end stories of some of the other characters, specifically Tony and Lily, young friends whose lives veered in different directions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown, and Dan Slater for an advanced copy for review.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed "The Incorruptibles" partially because of the connection to my Jewish identity and partially because of the new things I learned about what life was like in pre-World War I New York for the Jewish community, especially those from Eastern Europe who had just emigrated to the United States in search of a better life. Jews can be gangsters, sex workers, gamblers, and violent too! Just like other immigrant groups, Jews had trouble economically integrating into a society that was not very welcome to them and had to force themselves into the city's and the country's cultural and societal conscience. It's amazing that 100 years later so much has changed for the better. Jews have become an accepted minority group in the U.S. that has contributed greatly to the country's culture, history, and DNA. Part of that is exemplified by the entrepreneurial spirit of the characters in "The Incorruptibles". Abe Schoenfeld saw a problem in his community from his perch as an "uptown" Jew who saw the conditions of the "downtown" Jews and felt that something needed to change. That something was an anti-vice campaign that would evolve over time from a successful upstart group into a shadow police force that took pleasure from imposing it's power an will on the criminal underworld but also the underclass. A lot to chew on that I will be thinking about for quite some time. Felt the book wandered a bit after they closed the chapter on the Kehila and went down the rabbit hole about Arnold Rothstein, etc. Could have used less of that. Could see this becoming a cool HBO mini-series or something along those lines in the future!

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had long heard about Irish gangs in New York, and the Italian mafia, of course, but Jewish gangs? The earlier waves of German-Jewish immigration had made great strides in assimilation, and they deplored the new eastern European Jews who ran every kind of criminal enterprise imaginable. They ran protection rackets and filled brothels with sex slaves. The German-Jews underwrote a vigilante effort to clean up the east side of the city where dirt, disease, and crime proliferated, but knew they'd have to simultaneously go after the corrupt cops, lawyers, politicians, and judges who were making big bucks on the side keeping the vice going.

The book was published in 2024, so it would be interesting to see if the author would still agree with his statement that the period of 1917-1921 was unmatched in American history for hysteria, xenophobia, and paranoid suspicion. The Red Scare was depicted as the most extensive peacetime violation of civil liberties in American history. "The Department of Justice raided the meeting places and homes of Russian immigrants in twelve cities, but the focus was on New York, where hundreds were incarcerated and deported." ICE follows in their footsteps. Americans always want to identify and persecute a boogey man.

[Sandy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look at the rise of the Jewish mob, from the late 1800s through to Prohibition in New York City.

The book focuses on Arnold Rothstein, but we also meet the mobsters, the politicians, and the reformers who were active during his hold on organized crime in the city. I was fascinated with the breadth of the biography/history and learned quite a bit beyond Rothstein's life story.

Rothstein himself was a complex man. He traveled as freely in society as he did in the underworld. He was a ruthless gangster, but he was also a philanthropist and believed in helping others. Rothstein and his cronies are, as you can imagine, a source of mixed feelings for American Jews, weighing the crimes against the rise to power and wealth.

Slater gives historical context for the rise of the mobs and the reform movement, addresses gambling (horse racing & the White Sox World Series), and describes life for immigrants to New York. It was very nice historical nonfiction.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 2 out of 5]

The research alone would merit four stars, but the execution left me quite disappointed.

The description of The Incorruptibles sounded fascinating. Slater is clearly passionate about this topic and has done a thorough deep dive into this era.

However, the book fell rather flat. There are just so many names and events crammed in, and nothing is really given a chance to breathe. The result is that it’s hard to get invested in any person or situation because things just keep jumping around to an overwhelming degree.

I can envision so many ways this could have been improved, which is not what I want to be thinking coming out of a work like this. Still, the research was interesting and thorough, so I do feel it deserves two stars. I suppose I just wish The Incorruptibles was something it’s not. I can see this maybe working better as a long-form article, which would’ve required an editor to crop out all the disjointed elements.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook) Wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I read this book, but ended up reading a strong tale that made a long, unplanned car ride somewhat less painful. This looks at the evolution of underworld crime and law enforcement in New York, looking at the Jewish migrant community. One murder in the early 1910s set in motion a series of events involving families and personnel from all spectrums of the law (criminal to judges and enforcers). Key among them was the Rothstein family. On one end, a respectable Jewish business man. On the other, a son that ended up disappointing his family, but evolving into one of the top gamblers/mobsters in the 1st half of the 20th century.

Overall, a work that covers a wide spectrum of topics, but never deviates from the central premise/families involved. Worth the time to listen to/read, regardless of format.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uptown German Jews vs. downtown Russian Jews, gangsters vs. reformers, and business owners vs. unions: these opposing groups were active in early 1900s New York City and form the core of Dan Slater’s impressive “The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld” (Little Brown and Company). Slater manages to cover a wide variety of material, putting it into perspective to help readers understand how the Jewish world came to be filled with criminals (some of whom were willing to support their families by any means possible) and reformers in a city where City Hall and the police department were filled with corruption.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich history of when gangs of immigrants ran crime in a major city. Sound familiar? It's an old American story, and each wave of immigrants to the Land of the Free gets to have its own moment of people complaining that they're all a threat to this land--Irish, Italian, Asian, Columbian, Mexican, and the Jews of Eastern Europe, especially the Russians, who came to New York at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Slater explores who the leaders were, the role played by the unions, and how a handful of Upper East Side established Jewish leaders worked to end the racketeering and vice.

There are some famous players mentioned (Arnold Rothstein, Meyer Lansky) and some colorful unknowns (Toni the tough hooker), creating an engrossing reading experience.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars for all the research the author did, I actually found the book waxing and waning in holding my interest. There were amazing stories of the early days of criminal activity and the gangs formed by recent immigrants seeking inclusion, acceptance, and money in a culture that was determined to be exclusionary. I skimmed parts and there were so many names to keep track of. The main thrust of the historical novel is how much these immigrants impacted the early days of US history- they brought organized crime, but also organized self regulation and brought criminal justice to neighborhoods. These men, some women, recognized the need to bring safety to neighborhoods, and consequences to criminal activity.

[Mme Forte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter is intriguing, even fascinating -- but the writing is all over the place and the narrative moves around in time and place so much that I found it difficult to keep track of which character was which and how they were connected.

There was too much skipping backward and forward in time. The whole arrangement needed to be linear. It was not. I get it that things happen at the same time and that telling overlapping stories can be confusing for the reader. But this cropped up a lot and it got tiresome.

There's a ton of information here, and I did learn a lot, but it wasn't enjoyable. It's a great story, but the structure almost ruined it for me.

Three stars mostly for the amount of information and the obviously prodigious research.

[Ivan Goldman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on this book because the author clearly invents exact quotes for conversations in which he couldn't possibly know precisely what was said. In an author's note before chapter 1 he says "Scenes and dialogue in this book are drawn from a constellation of sources" and much of it was "based on faded memory. ... I've just quoted what I found." It's good he admits that sections may have been modified by the sources. But as a journalist by trade I can tell you that's not journalism. You don't present material that you tell us may or may not be accurate and expect readers to take it seriously. There's been an awful degradation of what should be factual accounts through misinformation and disinformation fed to us on "social" media, and I consider this book part of that sad trend.

[Arly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally I liked this a lot (4+) though I don’t think it would work as well for readers who don’t have a strong interest in New York Jewish history of the early 20th century . Sometimes it was hard to follow the stories of politics and betrayal and intrigue, but the bigger picture, the contexts and the key stories/characters were fascinating and eye-opening. On top of that, Slater examines the issue of vice and control/ repression and what motivates and who benefits (and loses) from laws and crackdowns relating to personal morality issues. And corruption…. Political? Moral? Economic?… in so many arenas.

[ReadingForFun · Rating 4 out of 5]

A breezy tour following an earnest vigilante in the Jewish ghettos & underworld during immense growing pains in NYC & America.

Standout characters for me were the resilient prostitute Tony the Tough (though we don’t get an ending for her…maybe it’s better we don’t), Jack Zelig who’s end gave me chills just as he discovered his backbone, and Mayor Gaynor, a progressive fair-minded politician (even by today’s standards) who lays waste to the tired refrain “but those were different times.”

The colorful baddies were almost as interesting though most of them quickly fall victim to their lifestyle. As they say, such is life.

[EVAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Incorruptibles” is an interesting, but flawed, read.

The book is a history of Jewish crime on the Lower East Side from 1890-1928 (more or less), and the efforts of wealthy, assimilated uptown Jews to fight it. It’s thorough an incredibly well researched and footnoted. It covered events and people about whom I knew nothing.

What stops me from giving it five stars are that it drags in the middle and sometimes the author gives in to the allure of period slang. I will admit that the latter is an authorial prerogative but it’s one that bothers me. Having said that, it’s worth reading.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! The story of Eastern European Jews arriving in New York City in the late 1800’s comes vividly to life in this book. New York City’s East Side became their American ghetto. Then along came Abe Shoenfield and his vice squad, the Incorruptibles. The vices plaguing the East Side were attributed to Jewish immigrants at large, rather than the small group of wealthy schemers and corrupt politicians. This metastasizing hatred of Jews foreshadows Nazi Germany. A compelling crime story, although way too long!
Recommended!

[Matt Mithun · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to imagine these streets of NY ever existing, but Slater brings us into this foreign-feeling world with such palpable detail and color that his story becomes your home. You feel what his subjects feel and at times wonder how people could have lived liked this. It's a mesmerizing blend of educational history and fantastical story-telling. Another brilliant piece of work from a gifted writer.

[Jerseytodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. A lot of books in this era rightfully focus on the labor struggles of early New York. This book does a great job of weaving together the criminal element as well as the cultural issues that came with everything. I agree with some of the comments that the book goes off on tangents - but I liked the side quests. I'm fascinated with this time in New York, and this goes well with similar books but provides a nice perspective.